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Thanks man not having a whole lot of action saltwater so I like to switch it up. Pogies haven't come into the rivers like they normally do so the bass fishing has been extremely slow. I heard Plymouth and the south shore was on though.

That's totally insane Kev. I have to be there with you this season that will be so epic! I'm beyond stoked brother!

I didn't see any lice so I'm assuming it was a holdover. It was a fat 30.75" slot bass barely made it. Should be a good season good luck! This was on a freshwater chug bug popper made by storm. Tennessee shad I think the color is.

@@GroceryBagAngler Good ol' chug bug, cool. Good luck to you guys as well, Thanks

@@Takeakidfishin yeah been using it for years in the rivers. Early season into May/June they work. Let's have a great season!

You got that right! 💯 She's my little fishing doggie but the water is still a little chilly so she gets cold quick.

Thank you I appreciate it. I try to find "virgin water" spots in a sense far away.

Thank you! I love catching big pickerel.

Some eat pickerel I've never had it. I'm mostly sport for freshwater unless it's trout or crappie maybe. I keep more of my saltwater fish: stripers, fluke, tautog.

Fish was measured at 26" and released for a pin. Chain Pickerel have to be a minimum of 25" to qualify for an award.

@@GroceryBagAngler What's the award?

@@spencergay8283 Massachusetts freshwater sportfishing award minimum length for each species, catch and release category. For example, the chain pickerel in this video has to be a minimum of 25 inches. This one was 26 in.

Yes we love our smallmouth bass up here in New England!

Yes wow is right! The Cape Cod Canal is insane!

Yeah it fought hard it was pushing 6 pounds anyway. That fish didn't want to come in at all. 7" watermelon senko did the job.

@@GroceryBagAngler Once again big bait, big fish. AWESOME

@@Takeakidfishin yes exactly 💯. The 5" senko wasn't working as I was in shallower water. The 7" worm got out just deep enough and the bass hit it on the drop. I felt one big slam and that was it.

@@GroceryBagAngler Smart adjustment, definitely payed off. NICE!!!

@@Takeakidfishin all thanks to my buddy who gave me that 7" senko to try. I never used them before.

I know tell me about it this was last Saturday before Easter. I had the day off from work and wanted to try for holdovers. The bait wasn't on heavy but I just got told today that the herring run by the Fan Club was swarming with ospreys so the bait must be in now. I also went freshwater today and got a fat pickerel on a crankbait.

@@GroceryBagAngler I've lived in this area my whole life, I think it's safe to say that the first good stretch of weather always FIRES EVERYTHING up. Lately it has been all pickerel for me as well, it's a matter of time brother.

​@@Takeakidfishinlast month was ridiculous with the rain and cold temps. One of my local lakes has been off big time. I think the bottom has been stirred up from all the wind and rain. That shuts the bite off also with the fronts.

It really is a 💎 . I love Southeastern Massachusetts, my home.

@@GroceryBagAngler wow! I can tell!!

@@allkindsofoutdooractivities I'm truly blessed to live here. I returned home from the military 12 years ago and had nothing. I learned to live a simple life and to embrace nature. This is my sanctuary and I love sharing it with you all.

@@GroceryBagAngler thank you for your service!

@@allkindsofoutdooractivities thank you so much you're so kind!

😂 oh too funny Annette! Come with us sometime soon plenty of fish to go around! Also I learned that Gary Yamamoto is not making this particular worm anymore. I'm devastated.

Luna is my fishing buddy she goes almost everywhere with me, even saltwater.

😂 largemouth are just sport for us. We have a variety of saltwater fish that we keep: striped bass, bluefish, fluke, black sea bass, tautog. Plus my friend Ron says they "taste like mud" around here.

Haha 😂 that's because I don't want to show my face, I like the fish more!

Thank you, stay safe out there as well! Tight lines

Haha yes for sure and there were many more Osprey in the vicinity lurking. They were so hungry and aggressive!!

Thank you so much and may God bless you as well!

Wow you had a good day. We got a mixed bag of largies nothing huge, Ron got a nice crappie, I lost a huge pickerel probably over 30" thing was massive. Our area is awesome this was in Wareham.

Sounds like a good day as well, Sucks about the pick but sometimes they need to win as well. At least you got to see her.@@GroceryBagAngler

@@Takeakidfishin yes absolutely some win ultimately. It's usually the biggest fish for me that get away. Last season it was many over-slot stripers that got away. Line gets caught on barnacled rocks, hook comes out, very disappointing.

I know your pain brother, have my share of big fish lost stories, both salt and fresh. It ALWAYS SUCKS!!!@@GroceryBagAngler

Yes it was I have to get better about my word usage though. I get caught in the moment sometimes. This fish was a tank for it's size and was my last keeper of the season late October.

Nothing wrong with the word usage bro, been there myself, ESPECIALLY when you lose a good one.@@GroceryBagAngler

When you're used to kayaking and catching fish out of them they're actually extremely stable. If you notice this fish gave one last head shake at the end and it moved me a little but I wasn't phased at all.

Cool bro, sure you get some sleigh rides as well@@GroceryBagAngler

@@Takeakidfishin yes a Nantucket "sleigh ride" as they say!

Thank you so much I have a lot of respect for the older folks who used nothing but conventional rods and mono line. I use nothing but spinning gear and braided line with a fluorocarbon leader. I agree with you on the circle hooks and how they can be difficult. I've lost a good amount of fish from not understanding how to use them but now I know how they work and I'm getting better at using them. Supposedly they cut down on catch and release mortality so I'm all for that. I'm about 95% catch and release so I want to do my part in limiting the mortality of these fish and preserving the fish stocks. I kept 4 bass last year and released many more slot fish.

FULLY AGREE on their purpose, circles. Catch and release, SO IMPORTANT!!! Have a grandson now who loves to fish, got to preserve the fisheries. On another note, try reeling in a canal pig on 30lb.Trilene big game back in the day. Always interesting for sure. Seen many guys GET SPOOLED!!! Yes braid is all I use now, THANK GOD@@GroceryBagAngler

Indeed, especially in herring lakes.

Agree, big bait leads to big fish!!!@@GroceryBagAngler

@@Takeakidfishin oh ya definitely I have a video on here of my 40" striper caught live lining a pogie. The pogie I snagged was the size of a stocked rainbow trout.

AWESOME BRO, I miss the days of live lining herring in the canal. Those days were insane, SCREAMING runs. Lots of big Stripers back then. Biggest bass I ever seen in the canal, on a herring, I personally weighed it for a guy on the side of me, in the 1990's was 46lb. 10oz. ABSOLUTE COW!!! Too bad we can't do it anymore; your generation would have loved it.@@GroceryBagAngler

@@Takeakidfishin yes indeed we would have love that. I've heard all the stories from old timers on live lining herring for bass. Man that must have been epic! One lure that absolutely destroyed the stripers last year in the canal was the 6" Al Gag whip it fish. "Rocket" Ron was blind casting with them while camping at Bourne Scenic Park and was killing it with them. It's pearl white and use it like a paddle tail, don't jig it. When the bait is in the canal late June/July use that swimmer trust me.

I love light tackle. I've caught many keeper size stripers with freshwater rods and 10 pound braided line. I live for days like this on the water. Fall of 2022.

Tight lines and good luck to you as well. I'll keep the videos coming as long as I can get out there and put the time in. This whole work thing really eats into my fishing time 😂

Yes sir! It's good to get the fish in quick while it's still green but we also don't want to overwork them with the canal current.

Thank you much appreciated! I usually do well April, May and June. Last June I caught my biggest largemouth of the year around 6-7 pounds on a 7" watermelon senko.

Thank you so much we always try to keep it real. We're just a bunch of laid-back Southeastern Mass guys that have a passion for fishing. The incredible thing is that Ron was slamming even bigger bass before I got down there that day. This guy is like a fish whisperer.

Cool bro, you're welcome. That Ron seems like a BLAST to fish with. GOOD LUCK IN "24". I'm from New Bedford myself, GREAT fisheries in our area@@GroceryBagAngler

Yes this is Luna she's my hiking and fishing buddy. She goes everywhere with me. She can tolerate the cold for a bit when there's no wind and it's sunny 🌞. It was 21 degrees Fahrenheit this day but you wouldn't know it.

Oh same here 💯. I'm so ready to get back at it, even for largemouth, small mouth, pickerel.

Thanks my brother 👍

I apologize for that. This isn't what this channel is about. It's about fishing and the outdoors of southeastern Massachusetts. My friend Ron is a good fisherman but does curse a lot.

Haha yes that's Ronnie! He's quite the fisherman though.

I believe it's a Diawa 9' rod and Penn 5000 reel. I'll have to ask him about the specifics. He really needs an upgrade for this upcoming season to land some more slob bass.

Yes bunker, we tend to call them pogies up here. Menhaden, all the same thing. Porgy is another fish or "scup".

Yes of course we had to release this fish. We didn't measure it but it was definitely over the 28 to under 31" slot limit for bass. I personally kept 4 stripers this year mostly around 28-29".

OMG same we slam the bass with them season after season

These are 6" pearl white whip it fish by Al Gag lures.

Thank you this hit a 7" watermelon senko.

Massachusetts

Thank you I love that topwater action!!

Okay but to Ron it was. He really enjoyed the fight and so did others. Regardless, it was a big fish. Tight lines!

Yeah Ron is a legend 🤣

Yeah Rocket Ron is no stranger to big bass. A couple years ago he landed a 42" striper from his kayak using only 8 pound test monofilament. We usually run on the lighter side with gear. I've caught many keepers from the bank and kayak using only 10 pound braid, Power Pro. It holds up well.

Usually I run 30 pound test braided line, Power Pro and Diawa J Braid Grand. Leaders are always fluorocarbon, usually for the canal 30-40 pounds. Lures range from topwater plugs, poppers, swimmers (Al gag whip it fish). Bait is tough to use in the canal but can be done during the slack tide (in between tides). Can be done in a 4 hour window, for example 2 hours prior to high tide and then 2 hours into the outgoing where the current isn't as strong.

Thanks 👍 Ron is a heck of a fisherman.

He's an excellent fisherman

You're probably right. We just estimated the weight because we wanted a quick release.

@@GroceryBagAngler I can tell you a 40# striper is a monster.